LOCAL CHAPTER CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE

IBEROAMERICAN UNIVERSITY (UNIBE) INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER OF

THE AMERICAN MEDICAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Henceforth established and agreed upon on the 7th of March, 2015 in the city of Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic, Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) School of Medicine
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the American Medical Student Association, hereafter referred to as AMSA
Iberoamerican University - School of Medicine (UNIBE) International Chapter. This chapter is an independent
organization supervised by the National Office of the American Medical Student Association and operated in
accordance with their bylaws, constitution, and internal affair regulations.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES

The purposes of this organization shall be:
• To provide an environment that supports the creative ideas of physicians-in-training.
• To promote, encourage and maintain a cohesive relationship with the student and non-student
organizations of the Iberoamerican University (UNIBE).
• To serve as a forum for discussion of health issues and develop a policy agenda for physicians-in-training.
• To affect change in the medical education process and to make it more responsive to the needs of students
and society.
• To maintain its status as an independent organization.
• To maintain its primary identity as an organization for physicians-in-training.
• To promote and maintain programs which enhance the quality of health care in the community.
• To be financially independent and maintain a stable financial base.
• To continue to develop health-care leadership.
• To seek, develop and provide membership services to the physicians-in-training community.
• To increases knowledge of health information among members and the general public.
• To periodically re-evaluate the above purposes and ensure that they are carried out in a proper fashion.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

A. Eligibility
Students enrolled at the Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) who are either current national members of AMSA or
in the process of applying to national AMSA, and have paid current chapter dues shall be considered active
members of AMSA Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International Chapter. Members of the aforementioned
organization shall be accepted without discrimination on basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex,
sexual preference, age, creed, marital status, parental status or veterans status. Furthermore, it is understood that
members of the above organization will not, at any time, engage in hazing.

B. Privilege of Membership
Members shall have the right to attend all meetings and participate in all AMSA-sponsored activities.
Members shall have the right to attend all meetings, participate in all AMSA-sponsored activities. If the activity is

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based on community service or educational, only the members that have paid the chapter fees are going to receive a
Certificate of Participation. Nonmembers can participate of all AMSA-sponsored activities but they have to pay a
stipulated fee if necessary.

C. Dues
AMSA National dues* are currently set at U.S. currency: $75 for International Memberships, that due covers Pre-
medical and Medical School. The dues are subject to change through written notification by the National Board of
Trustees.

The dues for membership to AMSA Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International Chapter shall be determined
by the AMSA officers of Iberoamerican University (UNIBE). Local chapter dues shall be $300.00 RD every
semester.

The local chapter dues will be collected at the first and second general body meetings of each semester. There will
be a charge of 50.00 RD if the payment is made after the second general body meeting Members that enrolled after
the second general body meeting will have up to 10 days after their enrollment to pay the local chapter dues for the
remainder of the semester.

Dues will be subject to the penalty for nonpayment in Article III, Section D.

D. Financial Obligations
Penalty for non-payment: Any eligible member that fails to pay dues will lose membership status and benefits.
Members that fail to pay dues are considered non active members, therefore non active members are not
able to receive Certificates of Participation of the activities sponsored by AMSA nor run for positions on
the executive board.

ARTICLE IV. ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICERS

A. Titles
The officers of the executive board of AMSA Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International Chapter shall
include: President, Elect President, Vice President of Internal Affairs and Membership, Vice President of Finance,
Vice President of Program and Activities, Secretary, Fund Raising Coordinator, Public Relations Coordinator and
any other positions the chapter wishes to create. Nominations will take place the last Saturday of February and finish
on the third Friday of March at 4:55 pm. The nominations should be in written form with an adjunct copy of the
nominee’s current academic auditory. The nomination must be in the hands of the Nomination Committee in
accordance with the terms described above.

The Nomination Committee will be composed of 3 members of the executive board that will not run for office in
upcoming elections, and 4 active members. In the case that the positions assigned for the executive board members
cannot be fulfilled because all of the members are running for office in upcoming elections then the necessary
positions will be available for the active members to fill.

To be considered an active member of the local chapter the student must have a minimum of 80% assistance to
general body meetings and chapter activities, be a National AMSA member, and have no financial delinquencies or
dues with the local chapter.

Under the above mentioned criteria, the Executive board will advise all eligible candidates for the available
positions in the Nomination Committee, and the general body will choose who is appointed to fill the positions.

B. Elections
The officers may be nominated and elected by paper ballot at the first regular meeting of every April. A majority
vote of the members present shall be necessary to elect. When there is only one nominee for an office, there may be
a vocal vote. All officers shall take office on May 1. All officers must understand that their term in office is
voluntary and that they will never receive any compensation or stipend for their duties.

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C. Eligibility
Any member of AMSA Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International chapter shall be eligible for election
provided that he/she:
• Be qualified under the Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International chapter Golden Rule.
• Be a member of national AMSA and active member of AMSA Iberoamerican University
(UNIBE) International chapter for at least one year prior to election for the positions of: President,
Vice President of Internal Affairs and Membership and Vice president of Finance, and at least 2
semesters prior to the elections for the positions of: Vice President of Program and Activities,
Secretary, Fundraising Coordinator and Public Relations Coordinator.
• Have at least a General GPA of 3.00 at the time of elections for the following positions: :
President, Vice President of Internal Affairs and Membership and Vice president of Finance.
• Not have any disciplinary action by the University and this chapter
• Not have been removed from the executive board on a prior occasion
• Has met with the executive board to understand the details of the desired position.

D. Vacancies of Offices
If any office shall become vacant except for the presidency, the president shall, at the earliest possible date
thereafter, order a special election for the purposes of filling such office. The member thus elected shall immediately
enter his/her duties and shall hold office until the next regular election. The line of succession to assume the role as
acting president if the president were to leave is: VP of Internal Affairs and Membership, VP Finances and VP
Program and Activities.

E. Term of Offices
The term of office for all Officers and Trustees of the Association shall be for one (1) year, or until their successors
are duly elected and qualified, except for the President Elect, who will be trained during their year, and will assume
their office the next year as a Chapter President.

F. Duties of the Officers

1. The President shall:

• Preside at all general membership and special meetings.
• Appoint committees and serve as ex-officio (non-voting) of said committees.
• Assist treasurer in the preparation of a budget for his/her term of office by June 1.
• Carry out assignments and instructions to the office of the president.
• Training the new officers in the chapter, including the President Elect.
• This officer should not be running a second term as a Chapter President in a consecutive term, however,
the person may run for President Elect.
• Serve as a chapter delegate to the International Members Caucus and the House of Delegates at AMSA's
National Annual Convention each March (or select a surrogate if he/she chooses not to attend).

2. The Vice President of Internal Affairs and Membership shall:

• Be an aide to the president.
• In case of the absence or disability of the president, assume the duties of the president.
• Oversee the coordination of all projects.
• Oversee the efforts in recruiting new students to our chapter.
• It’s the Chairman in the Bylaws Assembly and the Elections Assembly.
• Serve as the chapter’s alternative delegate to the International Members Caucus and the House of
Delegates at AMSA's National Annual Convention each March (or select a surrogate if he/she chooses not
to attend) in the event that the president cannot attend.

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3. The Vice President of Finance shall:
• Present a budget and a tentative schedule of suggested fund-raising activities for the finance of the chapter
with approval needed by the president and the executive committee to the membership by June 1.
• See to the day-to-day expenditures of the chapter.
• Make sure the chapter does not assess any liabilities.
• Oversee the fund-raising committee on behalf of the chapter.
• See to the best of his/her abilities that money used on behalf of the chapter is used wisely and in a manner,
which suits the purposes of the chapter.
• Serve as the chapter’s alternative delegate to the International Members Caucus and the House of
Delegates at AMSA's National Annual Convention each March (or select a surrogate if he/she chooses not
to attend) in the event that the President or the Vice President of Internal Affairs and Membership cannot
attend.

4. The Vice President of Program and Activities shall:

• Plan with the president, the activities in the chapter and delegate the person in charge of those activities.
• Plan the length of those activities, the program of that day and time of each part.
• With the VP Finances, prepare the budget for every activities and the coordinate the equipment her need.
• Supervise the Public Relations and the coordinators in the promotion of the activities.
• With the Voluntaries Corps Coordinator, recruit the voluntaries for the activities and delegate some
functions in the activity.
• Serve as the chapter’s alternative delegate to the International Members Caucus and the House of
Delegates at AMSA's National Annual Convention each March (or select a surrogate if he/she chooses not
to attend) in the event that any of the officers described about cannot attend.

5. The Secretary shall:

• Keep a written record of all meetings (general membership meetings, executive, etc.) in order to provide
the chapter with a record of issues discussed, problems posed, ideas raised and of the people who
participated in the group discussion for benefit of the chapter and its members.
• Recite or summarize the record of minutes for approval by the membership.
• Keep a current list of active members.
• Record minutes to be "open" to all members.
• In case of absence, have a substitute appointed that day by any member of the executive committee.

6. The Fund Raising Coordinator shall:

• Develop the Fund Raising Activities in our Chapter.

• Need to report any money entry for the fund raising activities to the treasurer.

• The coordinator can recruit some people to create a Fund Raising Committee, with the advisory of the
treasurer.

• The coordinator needs to identify the ways to get more money and resources to the chapter, in accordance
with the regulations of the university.

7. The Public Relations Coordinator shall:

• Create a bridge of communication between AMSA, the university community, faculty and administration.

• It’s the person in charge of the promotion of every activity in the chapter.

• It’s the liaison between AMSA and the rest of the organizations in the university.

• With the Vice President and the coordinators, help in promote the organization for recruit some new
members.

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 • With the Communication Coordinator, prepare the Chapter Newsletter, Journals and the Publicity of our
Chapter.

• Is the person in charge to the booths of our chapter in any activities the chapter are invited.

F. Removal of Officers
Officers can be removed from office by a majority or two-thirds vote of the executive board. The executive board
member that does not comply with their obligations as a member, and as an officer as specified in Section F &
Section J will be eligible for removal of their position.

The person who is removed from the executive board cannot run for further office in the executive board of this
chapter.

G. Voting Powers of Officers

Officers retain voting rights. However, the president often votes only in the event of a tie. The President Elect have
voice but not the vote.

H. Duties of Coordinators and Appointed Officers

Coordinators and Appointed Officers are persons who help the executive board run the organization in special
abilities or duties assigned by the Executive Board. These must attend all director meetings and hold the position in
the best interest of the organization.

I. Removal of Coordinators and Appointed Officers

Any coordinators can be removed of his/her title if the executive board comes to a vote of two-thirds or greater. A
replacement will be appointed immediately. The appointed officer and/or coordinators that do not comply with their
obligations as a member, and as an officer as specified in Section J will be eligible for removal of their position.

The person who is removed from the executive board cannot run for further office in the executive board of this
chapter.

J. Obligations
Officers have the obligation to complete and comply with their duties in the position and be present in all meetings
and activities of the chapter. The President in agreement with 2/3 of the executive board can remove any officer,
who is absent from 3 meetings or activities without notification of why he/she was absent. With accordance to the
above mentioned criteria, this person would not be eligible for a re-election into an officer position.

In any case of an unnotified absence from a meeting or an activity, ordoesn’t comply with their obligations, the
officer will receive a written warning. There will be a maximum of 3 written warnings for the officer to be subject to
removal.

K. President Elect
The President Elect is an officer who is elected to be training in advance, to take the office of Chapter President next
year of their election. This person is responsible to get trained and understand the roles of the position, the
management of the chapter and the understanding of the National AMSA Constitution and Bylaws. This officer
doesn’t have any right to be a delegate in the House of Delegates, although he or she can be in the HOD session to
watch the process, and it’s not part in the line of succession. This person have the right of word in the Executive
Board Meeting, but not the right of vote, because he or she is still on training for the position.

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
A. Time and Place
Four types of meetings shall be held year round; the place and hour to be determined by the officers.

B. Types of Meetings
The various meetings of the organization, as defined in the bylaws, include:

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 • General Body Meetings: It is the meeting where the General Chapter Members meet with the
Executive Board to become informed about upcoming activities and projects. This meeting will take
place the second Saturday of every month.
• Annual Election Meetings: It is the meeting where the entire chapter populace elects the new
executive board for the following academic year. This meeting will take place the first week of April,
following the AMSA National Convention. (MEMBERS MUST HAVE PAID NATIONAL AMSA
FEES IN ORDER TO CAST A VOTE)
• Extraordinary Meetings: If the executive board has the necessity to meet the General Chapter
membership for any reason which can affect the business of the chapter, the president can plan the
meeting with two weeks in advance, depending on the issue which is to be discussed.
• Executive Board Meetings: The president can call an Executive Board Meeting the week before the
General Body Meeting, or after concluding an activity or project to discuss and plan activities with the
Executive Board.

C. Quorum
Quorum for general membership, annual election and special meetings shall be those active members present,
provided proper notice is given, as defined in the bylaws. Quorum for officer meetings shall consist of 50 percent of
the voting members.

ARTICLE VI. FINANCES

All finances shall be controlled and supervised at all times by the treasurer only. There must be a budget each year
as proposed by Article IV. All funds must be spent on organizational purposes only. The transfer of power of
controlling all funds shall be done during the first week of May. All of the funds collected by the chapter will be
placed in a bank account open only by the chapter; this bank account must be kept up to date, with all pertinent
information, to facilitate the transfer of power when new officers take control.

In every executive board meeting and general body meeting the finances will be discussed in detail, including
account statement, disbursements, account balance, and any other pertinent information that might be addressed.

ARTICLE VII. AMSA INTEREST GROUPS

“The Interest Groups of the Association serve as a venue for small groups of students to discuss a particular
topic of interest, including specific issues in the practice of medicine or specific medical and surgical careers
or specialties. “
-Constitution & Bylaws AMSA National 2014

AMSA-Unibe Chapter will have Internal Medicine Interest Group, Pediatrics Interest Group and Research Interest
Group. Any person interested in coordinating an interest group need to refer to the Interest Groups Rules &
Regulations Form.

General
• All Interest Groups represent AMSA National and AMSA-UNIBE.
• Interest Group Meetings may be planned to the discretion of the coordinators.
• Interest Groups should make a least one (1) activity every semester in order to be considered “active".

Coordinators
• There is a Maximum of 2 Coordinators for each Interest Group.
• ALL Coordinators need to be Official Members (Have paid National Fee and pledged in the Induction Ceremony)
• ALL Coordinators need to be ACTIVE Members (80% attendance to general board meetings and activities).

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• Interest Group Coordinators should be medical students (5th semester &up) and should be in “good standing”
with the university UNIBE.
• Coordinators will be expected to serve their position at least one quarter (4months/one semester).
• Coordinators should follow AMSA protocol to make an activity and should fill in the Re-imbursement application
in order to receive funding if any is needed to make an activity.

Interest Group Participants

• ALL Interest groups need a minimum of 5 AMSA Members in meetings, activities, etc.
• Any participant that is NOT an AMSA member may participate but will NOT receive certificates (in the activities
that get community service hour certificates).
• Interest Group Meetings and activities should be announced to all the members and to the VP-Program &
Activities in order to keep an updated calendar.

ARTICLE VIII. CHAPTER ADVISOR

At the request of the executive board anually, the advisor of AMSA Iberoamerican University (UNIBE)
International Chapter shall be a non-voting member of the executive committee. He/she must have a sincere interest
and commitment to the welfare of the chapter. The advisor must be a faculty or staff member of Iberoamerican
University (UNIBE), and a National Member of AMSA. The Executive Board holds the right to choose the person
who qualifies for the position, and has the obligation to send the information to the Dean of The School of Medicine
and the National Office respectively.

ARTICLE IX. NATIONAL CONVENTION REPRESENTATION

A. Delegates to the House of Delegates (HOD).

The Article VIII, Section 3 of the AMSA National Constitution establish the official rules of how many delegates
we have the right to choices. The first officer who have the right to represent the chapter in the House of Delegates
is the Chapter President, and then, the three Vice Presidents, in order of succession.

B. Remuneration
The Chapter President should never receive any stipend to go to the AMSA Annual Convention, from the general
fund of the chapter, unless the stipend comes from a fundraiser destined to that particular purpose. If the fundraiser
were to take place, the money raised will be appointed to, and only to the President and Vice President of Internal
Affairs. If the VP Internal Affairs and Membership cannot represent the chapter, the VP Finances and them, the VP
Program and Activities will take their representation. Any surrogate appointed by the President will not be eligible
to receive the stipend. The surrogate and people who are not in those key positions will be responsible for their
expenses.

ARTICLE X. EXTERNAL AFFILIATIONS

The Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International Chapter of the American Medical Student Association is
affiliated with the National American Medical Student Association. The Iberoamerican University (UNIBE)
International Chapter of the American Medical Student Association is governed by AMSA’s national laws as well as
its own. The Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International Chapter of the American Medical Student Association
is free to govern itself under the guidelines set forth in this constitution. The Iberoamerican University (UNIBE)
International Chapter of the American Medical Student Association will meet with AMSA once a year at the Annual
Convention. The American Medical Student Association is located at the following address:

1902 Association Drive

Reston, VA 20191
1-800-767-2266 / members@amsa.org

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ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENT
This constitution may be amended at any general membership meeting of the organization by a two-thirds vote of
the active members present, provided that the amendment proposed had been submitted in writing to the president
and posted in a conspicuous location for at least two weeks prior to the meeting. All amendments, additions and/or
deletions to the constitution of the above named organization shall be adopted only after a vote of two-thirds of the
members present. Additional articles and amendments may be included only if they are in consonance with the
Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International Chapter and AMSA regulations and policies. These must be filed
with the Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International chapter, the Office of Student Affairs and AMSA national
office within one week of adoption.

ARTICLE XII. DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of the above named organization, all unspent Iberoamerican University (UNIBE)
International chapter funds shall remain the property of The Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) International
Chapter of the American Medical Student Association. All privately obtained funds shall be donated to a non-profit
organization.

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 BYLAWS OF THE IBEROAMERICAN UNIVERSITY (UNIBE)
INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER OF
THE AMERICAN MEDICAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I. FEES AND DUES

AMSA Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) international chapter shall levy local dues, which shall be set at $300.00
RD per semester, levied at the first and second General Body Meeting. The privileges are outlined in the
Constitution and Bylaws.

ARTICLE II. MEETINGS

A. Ample notification shall be given to all local members regarding meetings held by the executive and publicity
committees.
B. General membership meeting shall be held at the set location(s), on a monthly basis.
C. Annual election meeting: The annual election meeting shall be held by the beginning of April and shall be
executed by the president and the vice president. All AMSA members can vote. Candidates receiving a simple
majority of the votes shall be declared victorious.
D. Extraordinary Meetings can be called by any member of the executive board or any five members of the general
membership. The purpose of any special meeting shall be stated in the announcements of the general meetings.
E. Executive board meetings:
o The executive board shall be required to meet the week prior the general body meeting.
o The executive board shall consist of the elect and appointed officers in the chapter.
o Quorum at the executive board meetings shall consist of 50 percent of the voting members of the executive
board.

ARTICLE III. APPOINTED OFFICERS

At the request of the executive board, the International Trustee advisor shall be an affiliate member of international
AMSA Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) and an ex-officio member of the executive board. The advisor shall
oversee the executive board and general membership of the organization on matters relevant to the purposes set forth
in these bylaws.

ARTICLE IV. ELECTIONS

Nomination shall be taken in the proper time, appointed by the Nomination Committee, before Election Day by
paper ballot and made public for everyone’s awareness. If the nominee chooses to accept the nomination he/she will
give a 5-minute speech on the day of election. The annual election meeting shall be held at the election meeting in
April. If only one name is submitted for a position, the vote may be taken vocally. In other events, names shall be
written on ballots and counted immediately. Candidates receiving a simple majority of votes cast shall be declared
winner. At least two-thirds of the votes must be attained to win a run-off. The newly elected members of the
executive board must meet with the previous executive board members for transition of chapter functions.

ARTICLE V. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall guide this organization in all cases,

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which are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws and special rules of order the
organization may adopt.

ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS OF BYLAWS

Amendments to these bylaws may be adopted at the Constitutional Meeting of the organization by a majority vote,
provided the amendment proposed has been submitted in writing to the president and is posted at least two weeks
prior to meeting.

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